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"First Book-Long Island connects children to books in a number of ways: The local advisory board and its network of volunteers raise funds or garner book donations and distribute them to eligible organizations (one that serves a population that is at least 70 percent below the federal poverty line); or it helps an eligible organization apply for a grant through First Book National, which then gives that organization access to the First Book Marketplace."

"The initiative will target 14 classrooms that serve about 200 students in areas of the city with high rates of poverty. Low- income students tend to enter kindergarten less prepared than their more affluent peers, and the quality of pre-kindergarten programs can vary tremendously in the private sector."

"Through the generosity of Times readers and a match by the McCormickFoundation, nearly $450,000 was granted to local literacy programs thisyear as a result of the Los Angeles Times Holiday Campaign. The campaign,part of the Los Angeles Times Family Fund, a McCormick Foundation Fund,raises contributions to support established literacy programs run bynonprofit organizations that serve low-income families whose children arereading below grade levels, who are at risk of illiteracy or who havelimited English proficiency."

"The 2nd annual Strides for Education 5K Walk/Run raised more than $30,500for college scholarships for The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools'Take Stock in Children Program [...] It is a nonprofit organization with asolid 17-year history of providing mentors, educational scholarships andhope for Florida's low-income and deserving students. The organization hasprovided educational support and college scholarships for over 18,000children in partnership with more than 800 public schools throughout 67counties in Florida."

"There is nothing easy about trying to boost academic outcomes for poor kids. That is why we've supported a range of aggressive interventions for the Chicago Public Schools over the years, including school closures, charter openings, turnarounds, improved teacher evaluations, a longer school day and changes to teaching tenure, hiring and firing rules."

"Education affects the number of people who depend on welfare, the number of incarcerated people and the number of people who live below the poverty line in America. An investment in education is investment in the future of the United States and its status as an international superpower."

"Enrichment through preschool is particularly important for children from low-income families, experts say. The state's childhood poverty rate is now climbing faster than the national average. That's among the unprecedented challenges facing this generation of Iowa children, the subject of a yearlong Des Moines Register special project."

"Learning to take turns or to identify the colors of the rainbow may not sound like big business, but experts say early childhood education has the potential to become the state's No. 1 economic development tool. Researchers have found that investing in the early education of low-income children, in particular, has produced positive results. For every dollar spent on such programs, studies have found a return of $4 to $9."

"The biggest blow would be to education funding, with schools poised to lose millions of dollars for everything from nutrition programs for students from low-income families to teacher training. According to documents released by the governor's budget office, the largest reduction would come in the form of a $53 million cut to grants distributed to schools with a high percentage of students from low-income families. Schools use the money to beef up tutoring and other programs aimed at preventing students from dropping out."

"University of Maryland, Baltimore received close to $500,000 in federal funding to put toward health education programs for low-income families."

"Federal education officials are poised to reject California's self-styled bid to avoid the strict requirements of the No Child Left Behind law, which could lead to radical reforms at hundreds of low-income schools."

"Last month, Wisconsin was awarded $22.7 million from the federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge, one of five states to receive grants this year. But failure to avert the fiscal cliff would result in 8 percent cuts in Head Start and a portion of the funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, programs key to ensuring that low-income children have access to high-quality early education."